How to Ensure the ‘Endless Frontier’ Won’t Be a Bottomless Pit
Dispersing federal tech funds to all corners of the U.S. could be wasteful.
The “Endless Frontier” bill introduced in Congress on April 21 has two noble objectives that unfortunately may conflict. One is to rebuild the U.S.’s technological might against rising threats from abroad, particularly China. The other is to share prosperity by funding regional technology hubs.
Dispersing the money to all corners of the U.S. may be good social policy, and it’s definitely good politics because it guarantees that more senators and representatives will support the legislation. But it may not be the best way to win a tech war. It’s natural for a disproportionate share of funding to go to a handful of elite regions—such as Silicon Valley—because that’s where a disproportionate share of leading scientists and engineers live and work.